Derrick Rose seems genuinely happy to be getting a fresh start in a new city, and some of the things he has said about being traded have not sat well with fans in Chicago.
The latest remarks Rose made that will likely make Bulls fans say “smell ya later” came in a feature from Jared Zwerling for the NBA Players Association. While he made it clear he wanted to spend his entire career in Chicago, Rose said he has already felt more support from fans in The Big Apple.
“I was feeling a lot of love,” he said of first coming to New York. “You feel that a little bit in Chicago, but it’s not on that level of New York, so it kind of makes you anxious to actually get on the court. It’s, like, ‘Man, they’re excited that I’m actually there.’ I haven’t even picked up a ball yet, I haven’t made a basket yet, and I can only imagine how they’re going to act when we start winning.”
Rose was a hometown kid who became the youngest MVP in NBA history, but Chicago fans grew impatient with him when he took extra time recovering from injuries even after being cleared by doctors. The media eventually turned on him, which is why Rose was happy to get away from the Bulls.
The big question with Rose will always be health. It’s easy for him to say Knicks fans are showing more love than Bulls fans did, but folks in New York will turn in a hurry if their star point guard can’t stay on the court. Fans are listening to all the lofty expectations Rose has heaped on his new team. If he fails to help the Knicks live up to them, he’ll be feeling less love in New York than he was toward the end of his career in Chicago.
